Rolls-Royce design chief steps down

Taylor helped overhaul Rolls-Royce's design language.

Giles Taylor, Rolls-Royce's head of design, announced plans to step down from his position earlier this week. His decision comes into effect immediately.

Taylor moved up quickly in the world of automotive design. He held various positions at Peugeot and Citroen between 1992 and 1997 and left the group to join Jaguar, where he became chief designer. He moved to Rolls-Royce as head of exterior design in 2011 and became the BMW-owned brand's head of design a year later.

He deserves credit for his role in overhauling Rolls-Royce's design language without breaking with tradition. He recently oversaw the design of the new Phantom introduced last year and the Cullinan unveiled recently. In a statement, Taylor wrote he left Rolls-Royce to "pursue alternative business interests" but stopped short of saying where he will work next. We know he stepped out of the BMW group, so don't expect to see him resurface as Mini's lead designer.

Taylor's hurried departure caught Rolls-Royce by surprise. The company hasn't announced a successor yet. It will release a statement when it chooses its next head of design.